Self-aligning bearing



E. E. PRENTICE SELF-ALIGNING BEARING- Feb. 6, 1940.

Filed mi. 8. 19:57

INVENTOR, 6

- AT ORNEY Patented F by 6, 1940 2,139,117. 7 v sum-meme BEARING Earl E. Prentice, Palo Alto, Calif. Application February 8,1937, Serial No. 124,626

fClaims. -'(Cl. 308-26 Thisinvention relates to improvements in self alignlng shaft bearings.

An object of my invention is to provide an imiproved self aligning bearing capable of readily *5 acljusting itself to a change in position of the shaft which it rotatably supports. 7 r

, Other objects of my invention are: Toprovide an, improvedself-aligning and noiselesslshaft bearinghaving non-metallic contact between the 10 relatively movable parts; to provide a bearing capable of automatically taking up any wear oc- I curring by reason of the misalignment of the, g shaft or on account of vibrations; to provide'a sound proof bearing adapted to absorb the vibra 15 tions ordinarily set up by the rotation of its asso-' ciated shaft; and to provide an improved shaft bearing having novel featuresof construction and combinations and arrangementof parts.

Further objects of my invention, will be pointed go out hereinafter, indicated in the appended claims or will be obvious to one skilled in the art upon an understanding of thepresent disclosure. For the purposes of this application I have elected to show herein certain formsand details of a shaft a bearing representative of my invention; it is understood, however, that the embodiment of my invention herein shown and described is for the purpose of illustration only, and that therefore it is not to be regarded'as exhaustive of the variaw tions of the invention,.nor is it to be given an interpretation such as might have the effect of limiting the claims short of the true and most comprehensive scope of the invention in the art.

, r In the accompanying drawing:

5 Fig. 1 is an end view of a pillow block having a bearing of the type embodying my invention sup.- ported thereby; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-1 of Fig. 1. s

Referring to the drawing, the numeral I I! designates a suitably shaped housing having an end plate H secured thereto, as by bolts II. The housing is preferably formedias a pillow block with a base l, but it may just as well be provided with sideflanges, hangers or other suitable means for securing it-in various ways to a supporting structure. The opposite ends 'of the housing are provided centrally with horizontally aligned circular openings of a diameter greater than the external diameter of the cylindrical ends l3 of a suitably shaped bushing l4. The bushing is formed with a frustro-spherical middle section which is centrally positioned in the housing It, and the cylindrical ends 13 project outwardly in M opposite directions through the openings in the ends of the housing. Mounted insideth bushing I4 is asleeve l5 constructed preferably from a porous copper alloy material of the kind capable of absorbing oil for lubrication purposes supplied tween the said sleeve and the bushing. The interior diameter of the sleeve I5 is of suflicient size from an annular reservoir l6 located centrally be; 5

to' accommodate a rotatableshaft l1.

Extending throughan enlarged opening provided in the topside of the housing Ill is an oil 10 cup It, the inwardly disposed end of which is screwed into a threaded opening in the frustrospherical part of the bushing H. Oil admitted to the cup 18' enters the reservoir I6 and is there after absorbed bytheporous sleeve [5. Extending around the oil. cup I8 and so disposed as to preventthe latter's contact with the housing It, is a resilient tubular member [9 which is made from rubber, synthetic rubber or other' suitable sound-proof elastic material.

Surrounding the frustro-spherical part of the bushing I4 are two complementary resilient cupshaped members 20, the opposite annular ends 2| of which extend outwardly through the openings in the ends of the housing. The cup-shaped members 20 are made from a suitable resilient material such as rubber or synthetic rubber; and a they are so shaped as to amply fill the space in the housing not occupied by the bushing It, the oil cup 18 and the tubular member l9. The cupshaped members 20 at their upper, sides are formed with complementary openings through which the oil cup I B and its, associated tubular member l9 extend. While it is not particularly desirable to do so on account of the inconvenience in assembly, the two complementary cup-shaped members 20 may be molded into a one-piece member of the required'shape. The normal size of the resilient cup-shaped members 20 is somewhat greater than the unoccupied space in the 40 housing In, thereby permitting the end plate II, when it is being secured in place, to engage with the outer end of its adjacent cup-shaped memher. After the bushing l4 and the sleeve l5 have been suitably aligned with respect to the permanent position of the shaft IT the screws I 2 are turned so as to cause the end plate H to be drawn into firm engagement with its adjacent cupshaped member 20. The somewhat .flowable characteristics of the resilient material compris- 50 7 ing the cup-shaped members 20 permit the entire cavity within the housing surrounding the bushing I4 to be filled with the compressed resilient material, and any change in position of the shaft from its initial position will also be accompanied u ing, a porous liner in the by a corresponding change in the distribution or position of the said resilient material. The resilient material surrounding the rrustro-spherical up through the shafts rotation are not allowed to be transferred to the structure upon which the device is supported.

Having described my invention, what I claim a 1. In a self-aligning bearing, a housing having openings in its opposite ends, a bushing positioned in the housing having an enlarged central portion and oppositely disposed cylindrical end portions, the end. portions of the bushing projecting through the openingsin the ends of the housing, a porous lining in the bushing, resilient members surrounding theenlarged central portion of the bushing and so disposed as to prevent the bushing from contacting the housing, an oil reservoir positioned between the liner and the bushing, and an oil cup extending through the bushing for supplying oil to the reservoir.

2. In a self-aligning bearing, a housing having openings in its opposite ends, a' bushing positioned in the housing having a spherical central section and oppositely disposed cylindrical ends, the said ends projecting through the openings in the housbushing, a pair of complementary cup-shaped resilient members surrounding the central section of the bushing and so disposed as to prevent the contact or the bushins with the housing, an annular oil reservoir positioned between the liner and the bushing, and an oil cup extending through the housing for supplying oil to the reservoir.

3. In a self-aligning bearing, a bushing having a spherical central section and cylindrical end sections, a housing within which the bushing is mounted, the said housing having openings in its opposite ends through which the cylindrical ends of the bushing extend, the said openings having a diameter greater than the outer diameter of the cylindrical ends of the bushing, a resilient member surrounding the spherical section of the bushing and also a portion of its cylindrical ends, the said resilient member being in firm contact with the housing and the bushing and being so disposed as to prevent the engagement of the bush- 7 ing with the housing irrespective of the normal operating position of the bushing with respect to the housing, a porous liner in the bushing, an oil reservoir between the liner and the bushing, and oil delivery means extending from-a point externally of the housing to the oil reservoir;

4. In a self-aligning bearing, a bushing having bushing, a rubber-like member surrounding the spherical section of the bushing, a removable and member positioned at the open end of the housing having an opening accommodating the other cylindrical section of the bushing, and means for adjustably fastening said end member to the housing for maintaining the rubber-like member in lateral compression.

EARL E. PRENTICE.

25 an enlarged frustro-spherical central section and I 

